Auto Rickshaw Menace and Health Issues

You might wonder what is the reason I am writing a topic like this. What is the connection between Auto Rickshaw and our health? Yes of course, there is a lot of link between one’s health and this menace. The noise pollution and the air pollution that is being created by them are so bad. I guess any of you living in a city would agree to what I say.

With days, we see that the number of auto rickshaws have increased variably in the city. Be it the individual ones or the share autos. It is always so irritating to have them around us. I often wonder why is that the government takes no much action against the number of autos that ply in the city or at least the condition in which these autos are maintained, leave apart the unfair fare they charge.

There has not been a single day I ride my bike without abusing an auto rickshaw fellow. Not that I have any personal grudge against him, but because of the way he rides causing a great traffic hindrance to the public and above all the noise his auto gives “drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr”. Oh my god, that is really horrible for the ears. Hear it all through your travel in the city; you are sure to end up in hearing defects.

Then the main thing, ride behind an auto without covering your face, what happens? Nothing much, just that all possible carbon is on your face and you inhale it and there it goes through your nose to your lungs. If studies have proved that passive smoking is so dangerous to our health, then it’s not just the cigarette smoke that they imply to, but also these black dangerous smokes that comes from the exhausts of these vehicles.

The smoke that comes out from these vehicles is so dangerous as it increases the level of carbon in our blood. Sometimes the black smoke is so thick, that for a moment we tend to lose our vision over the road and there we face the greatest risk of meeting with an accident. So this becomes a life threatening issue if the accidents turn out to be big and serious.

The other ill effect over ones health is the stress that one goes through because of the menace. The time and pressure they take to bargain for the right amount to travel in auto gives a stress. What I consider more stressful is the moment an auto passes by me with that irritating sound or with the emission of that dangerous smoke, I get so irritated, automatically it adds on to the stress level thereby causing a psychological imbalance for a moment or two which does have effects on my body.  

The speed in which they drive or take turns or over take the other vehicles are so heart pounding whether you are inside the auto as a passenger or as the one riding your vehicle on the road. They are very much over speeding just that they want to get hold of the customers, where they are not even bothered about what could happen to the other person travelling on the road. Many hit and run cases have been largely due to these auto rickshaws and I say this as I have been a victim myself, still suffering the after effect of the accident though six months now.

Above being a menace to human life, it also turns to spoil our earth. We all know that the green house effect is taking its toll. When these vehicles release so much of carbon on to the environment because of poor maintenance and lack of sense, it adds on to this dangerous effect. Why is that no stringent rules have come forth to help people of the city live a healthy life at least to the minimum level possible?

I request all my friends who go through this to help our city be a safer and cleaner place to live in. Next time you find an auto rickshaw giving you that “drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr” sound or that thick black smoke, stop by tell them that they are making the world a worst place for their grandchildren to live in. Please allow me to ride not just safely but with peace of mind.